On May 14th, The Human Rights Campaign joined the National Black Justice Coalition - our nation's only Black LGBT organization - along with Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund, The Audre Lorde Project, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force to urge New York's justice department to prosecute and convict the police officers responsible for the wrongful death of Sean Bell.
On November 24, 2006, Sean Bell was celebrating his bachelor party with several of his friends. The location of the bachelor party, a strip club, is a New York hot spot for criminal activity, which explains why there were so many undercover police officers present. Later that evening, a fight broke out between one of Sean's friends and another club patron. According to Police testimony, Sean and two of his friends went to Sean's car to get a gun. The police officers followed Sean and his friends. Instead of retrieving a weapon and returning to the dispute, Sean was seen driving away from the club when, according to testimony, he saw five men in civilian clothing. Bell's two friends stated that they did not hear the five undercover officers identify themselves. The officers stated that Bell tried to mow one of them down after the officers drew their weapons. The five officers unloaded 50 bullets into the vehicle killing Bell and injuring two of his friends. Only three officers were charged with a crime. One officer, Michael Oliver, fired 31 bullets into Bell having to reload at least once. Sean was 23 and pronounced dead the morning of his wedding day. There was no weapon found in Bell's vehicle. Sean is survived by his wife and two daughters age 5 and 1.
On April 25, 2008, New York Justice Arthur Cooperman cleared all three officers from charges of assault, reckless endangerment, and manslaughter. There was no jury present at the trial because, according to Cooperman, there was no need for one.
Led by the National Black Justice Coalition, leaders from prominent LGBT organizations voiced their concern in a letter addressed to the US Attorney General. The letter urges the Department of Justice to properly convict the officers involved with the shooting. It states that a blatant injustice has been committed on both the November 2006 shooting and the April 2008 acquittal. The letter ties the Bell shooting to injustices done unto LGBT people stating,
“We are deeply troubled by the continuing pattern of racial incidents across the country –hate crimes, police misconduct, and racial intimidation – that are all-too-often tolerated and ignored by local law enforcement officials and courts. Moreover, despite significant progress in the treatment of LGBT people, the targeting of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals for police abuse and misconduct remains a persistent and widespread problem in the US."
Proof again that one's liberation is dependent on the liberation of all.
On November 24, 2006, Sean Bell was celebrating his bachelor party with several of his friends. The location of the bachelor party, a strip club, is a New York hot spot for criminal activity, which explains why there were so many undercover police officers present. Later that evening, a fight broke out between one of Sean's friends and another club patron. According to Police testimony, Sean and two of his friends went to Sean's car to get a gun. The police officers followed Sean and his friends. Instead of retrieving a weapon and returning to the dispute, Sean was seen driving away from the club when, according to testimony, he saw five men in civilian clothing. Bell's two friends stated that they did not hear the five undercover officers identify themselves. The officers stated that Bell tried to mow one of them down after the officers drew their weapons. The five officers unloaded 50 bullets into the vehicle killing Bell and injuring two of his friends. Only three officers were charged with a crime. One officer, Michael Oliver, fired 31 bullets into Bell having to reload at least once. Sean was 23 and pronounced dead the morning of his wedding day. There was no weapon found in Bell's vehicle. Sean is survived by his wife and two daughters age 5 and 1.
On April 25, 2008, New York Justice Arthur Cooperman cleared all three officers from charges of assault, reckless endangerment, and manslaughter. There was no jury present at the trial because, according to Cooperman, there was no need for one.
Led by the National Black Justice Coalition, leaders from prominent LGBT organizations voiced their concern in a letter addressed to the US Attorney General. The letter urges the Department of Justice to properly convict the officers involved with the shooting. It states that a blatant injustice has been committed on both the November 2006 shooting and the April 2008 acquittal. The letter ties the Bell shooting to injustices done unto LGBT people stating,
“We are deeply troubled by the continuing pattern of racial incidents across the country –hate crimes, police misconduct, and racial intimidation – that are all-too-often tolerated and ignored by local law enforcement officials and courts. Moreover, despite significant progress in the treatment of LGBT people, the targeting of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals for police abuse and misconduct remains a persistent and widespread problem in the US."
Proof again that one's liberation is dependent on the liberation of all.
Read more on the Bell Case: http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/04/26/sean.bell.trial/
Read NBJC's letter to the Attorney General: http://www.nbjcoalition.org/news/ag-sean-bell-letter.pdf
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